EAT HEALTHY AS A COUPLE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY
Valentine’s Day is an occasion that is dedicated to celebrate love. It is a day for couples to show extra appreciation for one another beyond regular courtship or matrimony. Through this show of love, couples are inclined to indulge in delectable appetisers, entrées and desserts during a special meal together. Here are a few easy-to-prepare meal options that are healthy and cost-effective, enabling you to spend more on a special gift for your partner instead.
Colourful Spring Rolls
Best eaten as appetiser, this dish is packed with vegetables that provide different colour, texture, taste and healthy benefits. Therecipefor thishealthy Valentine’s Daymeal includes ingredients like radishes, red cabbage, red beet, green onions, avocado and basil. Radishes aid in regulating blood pressure and boost your immune system, whereas red cabbage helps the body to produce red blood cells and is loaded with vitamins and minerals like folate (which is crucial during pregnancy). Avocados are a rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and brings down cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your body.
As for red beet, it improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure. Green onions are an excellent source of vitamins, while basil has anti-inflammatory features, helps in the function of your liver and aids in detoxifying the body. As a dipping sauce, these colourful spring rolls are best consumed with almond butter, which is full of mono-unsaturated fats.
Balsamic Glaze Roasted Vegetables
This dish is best eaten as an entrée or side dish, and its ingredients include pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers. All these vegetables have unique flavours and offer a host of health benefits. By roasting these greens, you can retain its taste and nutritional value. The balsamic glaze also gives the vegetable a sweet and tangy taste to it.
Pumpkin has a high amount of antioxidants and vitamins that can aid in reducing the risk of chronic diseases and offer your body with an immune uplift. On the other hand, zucchini contains folate, fiber, potassium as well as vitamins C and A, which lessen the risk of stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Eggplant helps not only in improving bone health, but it is also rich in vitamins and minerals that can avert anaemia and improve brain function. As for bell peppers, it is loaded with vitamins and can improve eye health as well as reduce the possibility of being diagnosed with chronic diseases.
Marinated Salmon with Mango and Kiwi Sauce
Salmon is a fatty fish and deemed as one of the greatest source of protein that keeps you fuller for a longer period of time. It also contains a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids, which promotes good health and helps in decreasing blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
To prepare this dish, you have to soak the fish in a marination consisting of olive oil (also heart-healthy), honey and soy sauce before grilling it on a pan. The best accompaniment for this dish is a sauce made of kiwis and mangoes, which offers complimenting favours to the salmon, making it an amazing dish for a Valentine’s Day main course meal.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Greek Yoghurt Tiramisu
No Valentine’s Day meal is complete without chocolate and strawberries. By combining them together in a tiramisu dessert that includes Greek yogurt, this sweet dish is not only tasty but also healthy. Strawberries are known to protect you from heart diseases, amplify good cholesterol levels, and are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that bring down the risk of chronic diseases like cancer.
As for dark chocolate, it is also packed with antioxidants, and has the capability to enhance blood flow and lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve brain function. Greek yogurt contains calcium, protein, iodine and potassium. It is also rich in healthy bacteria which aids in maintaining a good digestive system.
